Research/Project Results

Temperate Rainforest Biome

Puget Sound, Page 4

Biotic Data:  Plants

     The forest was densely populated with plants.  The underbrush was very thick, making it difficult to identify and count herbs.  

     The most important herbs were:

                1.  stinging nettle

                2.  vanilla leaf

                3.  candyflower, also called starflower

                4.  stickweed     

     The most important shrubs were:

                 1.  bracken fern and sword fern

                 2.  Oregon grape

                 3.  Salmonberry or blackberry

                 4.  Salal

     The most important trees were:

                1.  Alder

                2.  Big-leaf maple

                3.  Douglas fir

                4.  Western red cedar  

These photographs show how green and verdent the vegetation is in this forest.  Stinging nettles and bracken are visible in the left hand photograph.  Notice how tall the trees are.  They have to put a lot of energy into growing tall to rise above the competition with other plants on the forest floor.